In providing a heat exchange surface for a cooling tower or the like, a variety of different types of contact body elements have been utilized in forming cooling tower fill sections to bring water into intimate contact with air in a cooling tower. The water to be cooled is typically sprayed onto the contact body elements where it forms a thin film. Air is drawn between the space between the contact body elements and into contact with the water film which is thereby cooled.
One such type of contact body element arrangement includes a film type fill packing comprising a plurality of corrugated packing sheets disposed in a vertical, parallel relationship such that the corrugations form channels in which water to be cooled is brought into contact with cooling air. The corrugations of adjacent sheets are typically arranged at opposite angles to provide mechanical strength and enhance the distribution of water and air within the fill packing. Examples of such prior art fill packings are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,862,280, 4,139,584, and 4,512,938.
The present invention is directed to an improved fill packing design, of the general type described hereinabove, which provides increased open space between adjacent packing sheets to reduce resistance to air flow and provides a minimal number of contact points between adjacent packing sheets to improve water and air distribution.